


Happy Halloween, Credence

by HerrGrindelwald, x57



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drabble, Halloween, Implied Murder, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Shota, Underage - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2018-11-01
Packaged: 2019-08-14 00:01:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16482251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HerrGrindelwald/pseuds/HerrGrindelwald, https://archiveofourown.org/users/x57/pseuds/x57
Summary: Credence was never allowed to go Trick or Treating before. Grindelwald changes that.





	Happy Halloween, Credence

"Are there no mirrors in this place?" Grindelwald asked in exasperation, coughing as the drapery he pulled down only revealed an old portrait--and a few decades of dust.

"Ma says... mirrors make us vain..." Credence mumbled, fidgeting.

"Perhaps she was sparing you a look at that haircut," Grindelwald murmured, examining the golden frame on the old painting. "Hm, yes, this will do."

With a wave of his wand, the painting began to bubble with silver, and within a few seconds, the surface had transformed into a smooth, clear mirror.

In its reflection stood Credence, half Grindelwald's stature, running a hand over the back of his head. He stopped once he saw himself and forced his hand to his side. Proper posture. 

"Now, now, none of that," Grindelwald chided him, blocking Credence's view with his body and lifting Credence's chin. It was easy for this man to make himself the sole focus of Credence's world. 

"What would you like to be tonight? It can be anything you imagine, anything at all." Grindelwald displayed a white smile, canines flashing sharp enough Credence wondered if they were natural. 

"I... I don't know," Credence piped, genuinely intimidated by the offer. "I've never gone out for H- Halloween before..."

He bit his lip, feeling pressured to think of something on the spot.

"Maybe a- dog?"

Grindelwald stepped behind him, waved his wand again--and suddenly, Credence's reflection sported a floppy pair of ears; a wet, black nose; and a fuzzy pair of paws. He looked down at his hands in alarm, but they looked normal in real life. Only the reflection had changed.

"Um... A bank... man?"

His reflection shimmered, and Credence sawing himself wearing an oversized tie that went all the way to his knees, clutching a briefcase that bulged with papers. He giggled, and heard a hum of amusement from behind.

"How about something a little more daring?" With their eyes meeting in the mirror, Grindelwald's were piercing. "A little more _you_."

Credence hesitated. He formed a word in his head, trying it out before releasing it from his tongue. "...a witch?"

Instantly Grindelwald smiled, broad and sharp. The wand waved again and Credence was covered head to toe in black. All but the fringe of his hair was obscured by a pointed hat, wide brimmed and light on his head. Over his shoulders he wore robes that appeared in tatters at first, but when he raised his arms, saw that they shimmered quite elegantly, if jagged along the edge. He wore shiny black boots that pointed at the toes and in his hand was a wand of his own. His very own. 

Grindelwald knelt behind him. "A _wizard_."

"A wizard..." Credence echoed with wonder, and raised his hand toward the mirror--only to discover he really was holding a wand.

He gasped, and whirled around, his new robes swishing beautifully in the air. Grindelwald's face was right there, level with him, marked with a smile so full of fondness that it pierced even Credence's insecurities.

"Thank you!" he breathed out, and in a moment of overwhelming impulse, he threw his arms around the man's neck, hugging him tightly. Odd; he had never felt a grown man's cheek against his own before. It felt like sandpaper.

Grindelwald's laugh resonated through Credence's body. He was lifted off the ground and he held his wand fast, newly protective of it. 

"Perfect." Grindelwald told him, stroking a finger down his nose in a way Credence would never have found endearing until that moment. "We're ready, I think." 

Credence's heart, having leapt to such a great height, suddenly fell. "Ma won't notice I'm gone too late? Or the mirror?" It hadn't changed back, and with Credence's reflection in Grindelwald's arms staring back at him uncertainly, it appeared it might never. 

"Ohhh, don't worry about her..." Grindelwald assured, leaning in close and pressing a tender kiss to Credence's forehead. Warmth pooled in Credence's belly, and he sagged happily in the man's grip. "In fact," Grindelwald hummed, moving his lips lower. "You don't ever need to worry about her again."

He spoke those last words with his lips so close that Credence could taste his breath, and feel the grizzle of his mustache. The sweet feelings in Credence's chest were so overwhelming, he completely brushed over the implications of the man's words.

"Are you going to take me trick or treating now...?" he asked quietly, feeling the heat of the man's breath as he spoke.

"For a kiss of those sweet lips, I will." 

Credence's shoulders rose, his face went red, but the flutter in his chest grew twice as strong. Daring, he reached up, arched his neck, and pressed his mouth to the real wizard's. 

Grindelwald held him there with a hand at the back of Credence's neck until he was satisfied, and Credence was glad of it. He hadn't the nerve to draw it out himself, but he wanted to stay in that embrace forever. 

"Let's get you some candy, shall we?" 

Almost forever. Credence nodded emphatically. 

As they made their way downstairs, Credence was surprised to find the main chamber of the church swarming with other witches and wizards. There were six or seven up by the altar, aggressively occupied with some task. Most of them were dressed in dark robes, just like he and Grindelwald were, and some had wild shades of hair that were surely the result of magic.

"Hiii-iii!" Credence called out, waving his wand at them in greeting. His other hand was planted firmly in Grindelwald's.

The witches and wizards whirled around, startled by the sound of a child's voice--and quickly closed formation, standing shoulder-to-shoulder in front of the altar, blocking Credence's view.

"Oh hi...!" one of them said, waving awkwardly. The others cast cursive glances at Grindelwald and waved as well.

"What are you doing?" Credence asked curiously.

"Oh... uhm..." One of the wizards cleared his throat. "Putting up Halloween decorations. Of course."

The big hand around Credence's squeezed and he looked up. "You're sure Ma won't mind?" 

Grindelwald's grin was wider than ever. "I'm sure." 

The flutter in Credence's chest grew even stronger, and, for the first time in a long time, he smiled back. He couldn't believe he was going to see the church done up, and for his favorite holiday, too. Never in a hundred years would he have imagined it. 

So lost was he in his own delight as Grindelwald led him out the door, that Credence failed to notice the muffled screams emanating from within the mass of magicians.

**Author's Note:**

> Visit me on tumblr:
> 
> [thepiperofhameln.tumblr.com](https://thepiperofhameln.tumblr.com/)


End file.
